EP2194733B1 - Vorrichtung, Verfahren und Programm zur Lautstärkenkorrektur und elektronisches Gerät - Google Patents

Vorrichtung, Verfahren und Programm zur Lautstärkenkorrektur und elektronisches Gerät Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2194733B1
EP2194733B1 EP09252718A EP09252718A EP2194733B1 EP 2194733 B1 EP2194733 B1 EP 2194733B1 EP 09252718 A EP09252718 A EP 09252718A EP 09252718 A EP09252718 A EP 09252718A EP 2194733 B1 EP2194733 B1 EP 2194733B1
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Prior art keywords
signal
component
gain
gain control
main
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French (fr)
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EP2194733A1 (de
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Masayoshi Noguchi
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Sony Corp
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Sony Corp
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04S—STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS 
    • H04S7/00—Indicating arrangements; Control arrangements, e.g. balance control
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04S—STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS 
    • H04S2400/00—Details of stereophonic systems covered by H04S but not provided for in its groups
    • H04S2400/05—Generation or adaptation of centre channel in multi-channel audio systems
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04S—STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS 
    • H04S2400/00—Details of stereophonic systems covered by H04S but not provided for in its groups
    • H04S2400/13—Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in stereophonic sound systems

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a sound volume correcting device, a sound volume correcting method, and a sound volume correcting program, which can be used, for example, in a sound output unit of an electronic apparatus such as a television broadcast receiver.
  • an output sound volume may be greatly changed due to a level difference between contents.
  • a sound volume control method using an AGC Auto Gain Control
  • AGC Automatic Gain Control
  • Fig. 28 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a sound volume corrector using the AGC.
  • two left and right channel input audio signals SiL and SiR are corrected in sound volume.
  • the two left and right channel input audio signals SiL and SiR are supplied to variation gain amplifiers 1L and 1R of which the gains are variably controlled on the basis of a gain control signal.
  • the two left and right channel input audio signals SiL and SiR are added to each other by an adder 2.
  • the added output signal from the adder 2 is made to be half the gain by an amplifier 3 and is then supplied to an average level detector 4, and the average level of the added output signal is detected by the average level detector 4.
  • the average level detected by the average level detector 4 is supplied to a gain control signal generator 5.
  • the gain control signal generator 5 compares the average level from the average level detector 4 with a predetermined reference level, generates a gain control signal so that the difference between both levels is zero using the comparison result, and supplies the generated gain control signal to the variable gain amplifiers 1L and 1R.
  • variable gain amplifiers 1L and 1R the gain is variably controlled on the basis of the gain control signal from the gain control signal generator 5.
  • the gains of the two left and right channel input audio signals SiL and SiR are controlled by the variable gain amplifiers 1L and 1R so that the average level of the added output signal from the adder 2 is equal to the reference level.
  • variable gain amplifiers 1L and 1R are automatically corrected to a constant level of sound volume by adjusting a small sound to be great and a great sound to be small.
  • Japanese Patent No. 3321820 discloses a method of controlling a sound volume within a constant range by controlling a compressor to adjust an output sound level to be smaller than an input sound level when a great level of sound is input.
  • the above-mentioned sound volume correcting method is a method of making a control of sound volume by monitoring the level of the entire audio signals.
  • the control of sound volume gain control
  • the control of sound volume is made for all the audio signals, whereby a loud sound can be made to be inaudible or a small sound can be made to be audible.
  • WO 2008/035227 discloses how a plural-channel, e.g. stereo, audio signal is processed to modify a volume gain of an estimated dialogue signal, for example, dialogue spoken by actors in a movie, relative to other components of the audio signal, such as background noise.
  • a system which has a dialogue estimator.
  • a first gain is generated for controlling the volume of the estimated dialogue, while a second gain is generated for controlling the volume of the remaining (non-dialogue) signal.
  • the first and second gains may be controlled, for example, so that a user can listen to a dialogue signal with increased volume (compared with the original signal) for a noisy environment, but with the original volume for a quiet environment.
  • WO 99/53612 discloses a system for user adjustable volume control in which a voice recognition chip separates information into a mostly voice signal and a background noise signal.
  • the voice signal is fed to a signal level adjustable amplifier, which performs voice volume adjustment
  • the background signal is fed to a second signal adjustable amplifier, which performs background volume adjustment.
  • the outputs of the two amplifiers are summed to create the final audio.
  • the user selected ratio of preferred signal (voice) to remaining audio (background) can be maintained even in the presence of transient changes by sending each signal through a soft clipping circuit before arriving at the amplifiers.
  • Soft clipping limits the overall magnitude of a signal when its level is too high without introducing any higher frequency artifacts.
  • the approach described herein can help to provide a sound volume correcting device and a sound volume correcting method that reduce an unpleasant feeling by making a wobble in output sound volume level at a level varying point not marked even when the level of an input audio signal greatly varies.
  • the same gain control as the past control is performed on a main first component signal of input audio signals to keep the output level of the main first component signal constant, but components other than the first component are controlled and output in accordance with a different gain control way.
  • a wobble in output sound volume level occurs at a level varying point where the level of the input audio signals greatly vary.
  • the wobble in sound volume level can be made not to occur in the other components other than the first component.
  • the wobble in sound volume level of the main first component signal is masked by the reproduced sound of the other component audio signals other than the first component due to the auditory combination thereof. Accordingly, the wobble in sound volume level at the level varying point is not marked, thereby reducing the unpleasant feeling.
  • the wobble in sound volume level at the level varying point where the level of the input audio signals greatly varies is not marked, thereby reducing the unpleasant feeling.
  • a sound volume correcting device is used as an audio output unit of a television broadcast receiver, but the device may also be used in other apparatus.
  • Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a television broadcast receiver.
  • the television broadcast receiver shown in Fig. 2 includes a control unit 10 including a micro computer.
  • a remote controller receiver 11 is connected to the control unit 10.
  • the remote controller receiver 11 receives a remote controller signal from a remote controller transmitter 12 and supplies the received remote controller signal to the control unit 10.
  • the control unit 10 makes a control of processes corresponding to the received remote controller signal.
  • the control unit 10 supplies control signals to the constituent units of the television broadcast receiver and performs processes of receiving a television broadcast signal, reproducing a video thereof, and reproducing an audio.
  • the tuner unit 13 selects and extracts a signal of a broadcast channel, which is specified by a channel selection control signal corresponding to a user's operating a remote controller and supplied from the control unit 10, from the television broadcast signals.
  • the tuner unit 13 demodulates and decodes a video signal and an audio signal from the selected and extracted signal of the broadcast channel, supplies the video signal to a video signal processor 14, and supplies the audio signal to an audio signal processor 15.
  • the video signal processor 14 performs a predetermined process on the video signal under the control of the control unit 10 and supplies the processed video signal to a display unit 17 including, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) via a display controller 16. Accordingly, an image of a broadcast program of the selected broadcast channel is displayed on the display unit 17.
  • a display unit 17 including, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) via a display controller 16. Accordingly, an image of a broadcast program of the selected broadcast channel is displayed on the display unit 17.
  • the audio signal processor 15 performs a predetermined process on the audio signal under the control of the control unit 10.
  • the audio signal processor 15 generates two left and right channel input audio signals SiL and SiR from the audio signal from the tuner unit 13 and supplies the processed audio signals SiL and SiR to a sound volume corrector 18.
  • the sound volume corrector 18 is a unit to which the sound volume correcting device according to this embodiment is applied.
  • the input audio signals SiL and SiR are corrected in sound volume as described later and are output as output audio signals SoL and SoR.
  • the output audio signals SoL and SoR from the sound volume corrector 18 are supplied to speakers 19L and 19R and are reproduced as sounds. Accordingly, the sounds of the broadcast program of the selected broadcast channel are output form the speakers 19L and 19R.
  • the sound volume correcting device will be described now as the sound volume corrector 18.
  • Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the entire configuration of the sound volume corrector 18 as the sound volume correcting device according to a first example of the invention.
  • the input audio signals are two left and right channel input audio signals.
  • a main first component signal is a signal (hereinafter, referred to as "main voice signal”) containing a voice component as a main component out of the two left and right channel input audio signals.
  • the other audio component other than the first component is a so-called live sound other than the main voice signal of the two left and right channel input audio signals.
  • the signal containing the live sound component as a main component is hereinafter referred to as "main live sound signal”.
  • the two left and right channel input audio signals SiL and SiR are supplied to a separation unit 20 separating the main voice signal and the main live sound signal.
  • the separation unit 20 in this example includes a centered orientation signal detector 21 and two subtractors 22 and 23.
  • the centered orientation signal detector 21 is supplied with the two left and right channel input audio signals SiL and SiR and detects a main voice signal Sv as a centered orientation signal oriented at the center between the left and right channels.
  • the main voice signal Sv detected by the centered orientation signal detector 21 is supplied to the subtractors 22 and 23.
  • the subtractor 22 subtracts the main voice signal Sv from the left channel audio signal SiL to acquire the left channel main live sound signal SsL.
  • the subtractor 23 subtracts the main voice signal Sv from the right channel audio signal SiR to acquire the right channel main live sound signal SsR.
  • the separation unit 20 separates the main voice signal Sv and the left and right channel main live sound signals Ssl and SsR from the two channel input audio signals SiL and SiR.
  • the main voice signal Sv from the separation unit 20 is supplied to adders 27 and 28 via a variable gain amplifier 24 as an example of the first component gain control means and is also supplied to a voice level correction gain generator 30.
  • the voice level correction gain generator 30 includes an average level detector 31 and a gain control signal generator 32.
  • the average level detector 31 detects the average level of the main voice signal Sv and supplies the detected average level to a gain control signal generator 32.
  • the gain control signal generator 32 generates a gain control signal (voice level correction gain value) Gv for allowing the average level of the main voice signal Sv to be a predetermined reference level.
  • the gain control signal generator 32 supplies the generated gain control signal Gv to the variable gain amplifier 24.
  • variable gain amplifier 24 the gain is controlled so that the average level of the main voice signal is a constant level (reference level) even when the level of the main voice signal Sv greatly varies due to the gain control signal Gv. In this way, the output level of the corrected main voice signal Svc output from the variable gain amplifier 24 is automatically adjusted to the constant level.
  • the corrected main voice signal Svc adjusted to the constant level is supplied to the adders 27 and 28.
  • the left channel main live sound signal SsL from the subtractor 22 is supplied to the adder 27 via the amplifier 25 of which the gain is "1" with an unchanged level.
  • the right channel main live sound signal SsR from the subtractor 23 is supplied to the adder 28 via the amplifier 26 of which the gain is "1" with an unchanged level.
  • the adder 27 adds the left channel main live sound signal SsL to the corrected main voice signal Svc and outputs the volume-corrected left channel output audio signal SoL as the added output.
  • the adder 28 adds the right channel main live sound signal SsR to the corrected main voice signal Svc and outputs the volume-corrected right channel output audio signal SoR as the added output.
  • main voice signal Sv from the centered orientation signal detector 21 and the main live sound signal SsL or SsR have the level variations shown in Figs. 3A and 3B .
  • the voice level correction gain in the variable gain amplifier 24 based on the gain control signal Gv from the voice level correction gain generator 30 is shown in Fig. 3C . Accordingly, the corrected main voice signal Svc from the variable gain amplifier 24 becomes a signal of a constant level shown in Fig. 3E .
  • the main voice signal Svc supplied as an input to the adders 27 and 28 is corrected in gain in a first gain control way such that the output level is kept constant. Accordingly, as described above, when the input audio signals SiL and SiR greatly vary in level, the sound volume level may wobble at the level varying point.
  • the left channel main live sound signal SsL and the right channel main live sound signal SsR supplied as the other input to the adders 27 and 28 are maintained at the unchanged levels in a second gain control way with the fixed gain of "1" in this example. Therefore, the original level variation of the input audio signal is maintained but the wobble in sound volume level due to the gain control in the first gain control way does not occur.
  • the wobble in sound volume level of the corrected main voice signal Svc is masked by the left channel main live sound signal SsL and the right channel main live sound signal SsR. Accordingly, the wobble in sound volume level of the main voice signal Svc is not marked, thereby reducing the unpleasant feeling given to listeners.
  • the main voice signal by rapidly shifting the main voice signal to a proper level, it is possible to maintain the constant feeling of the voice level, thereby making it easy to hear voices such as speech.
  • the original level of the main live sound signal is not shifted with the gain of "1" and thus the realistic feeling is kept constant, the unpleasant feeling due to the level shift is reduced, thereby realizing a natural level shift.
  • the first example is effective particularly when the variation in level of the main voice signal is small.
  • the adders 27 and 28 are provided.
  • the corrected main voice signal may be supplied to the center channel speaker and the output audio signals of the amplifiers 25 and 26 may be supplied to the two left and right channel speakers.
  • the wobble in sound volume level due to the gain control in the first gain control way is masked and is thus not marked.
  • Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a first configuration example of the centered orientation signal detector 21 of this example.
  • the centered orientation signal detector 21 includes an adder 211 and an amplifier 212 with a fixed gain of "0.5".
  • the left and right channel input audio signals SiL and SiR are added by the adders 211 and the added output signal is output from the amplifier 212.
  • the output signal of the amplifier 212 is the main voice signal Sv.
  • the average value of the main voice signal Sv is equal to the average value of the added signal of the left and right input audio signals SiL and SiR.
  • the voice level correction gain generator 30 generates the gain control signal Gv so that the average level of the main voice signal Sv is a constant level. Therefore, in the first example, the voice level correction gain generator 30 generates the gain control signal Gv so that the added signal of the left and right channel input audio signals SiL and SiR, that is, the total level of the input audio signals, is the constant level.
  • Fig. 5 is a second configuration example of the centered orientation signal detector 21.
  • the output of the first example is not output with the unchanged level, but a signal having a component more oriented to the center than the output of the first example is obtained.
  • the centered orientation signal detector 21 includes a gain-adjusted amplifier 213 and a centered orientation ratio detector 214, in addition to the adder 211 and the amplifier 212 with the fixed gain of "0.5" in the first example.
  • the output signal of the amplifier 212 is supplied to the gain-adjusted amplifier 213 and the output signal of the gain-adjusted amplifier 213 is the main voice signal Sv.
  • the left and right channel input audio signals SiL and SiR are also supplied to the centered orientation ratio detector 214.
  • the centered orientation ratio detector 214 generates a gain control signal Gat for controlling the gain of the gain-adjusted amplifier 213 depending on the ratio of the signal oriented on the center to the entire input audio signals.
  • the main voice signal Sv contains the signal component corresponding to the ratio oriented on the center out of the output of the amplifiers 212. That is, the main voice signal Sv in the second example is a signal containing the signal component more oriented on the center than that of the first example.
  • the centered orientation ratio detector 214 may have the configuration shown in Fig. 6 .
  • the centered orientation ratio detector 214 includes band-limiting filters 2141 and 2142, an orientation detector 2143, an orientation distribution measurer 2144, and a center gain control signal generator 2145.
  • the components in the frequency bands such as low-band components hardly giving an orientation feeling are removed from the two left and right channel input audio signals SiL and SiR input to the centered orientation ratio detector 214 by the band-limiting filters 2141 and 2142.
  • the two channel input audio signals SiL and SiR of which the band is limited by the band-limiting filters 2141 and 2142 are supplied to the orientation detector 2143.
  • the orientation detector 2143 detects the orientations of the two channel input audio signals SiL and SiR at the time of detecting the orientation for each predetermined period on the basis of the levels of the two channel input audio signals SiL and SiR of which the band is limited.
  • the orientation detector 2143 samples the levels (amplitudes) of the two channel input audio signals SiL and SiR of which the band is limited to each predetermined sampling period. In this example, the orientation detector 2143 detects the orientation at the latest sampling time as the orientation at the present time.
  • the orientation detector 2143 detects the orientation at the latest sampling time using the levels of the input audio signals SiL and SiR at the latest sampling time and at a sampling time prior thereto.
  • the sampling period can be set to be equal to the sampling period of the digital audio signals.
  • the sampling period may not be equal to one sampling period of the digital audio signal, but may be set to be equal to plural sampling periods.
  • the input audio signals of the orientation detector 2143 are analog signals, the analog signal may be converted into a digital audio signal at an input stage of the orientation detector 2143.
  • Figs. 7A and 7B show a coordinate space where the X axis represents the amplitude of the left channel audio signal SiL and the Y axis represents the amplitude of the right channel audio signal SiR.
  • the orientation detector 2143 acquires the levels of the two channel input audio signals SiL and SiR at the orientation detecting time in each sampling period and plots the coordinate points corresponding thereto in the coordinate space shown in Figs. 7A and 7B , like P1, P2, P3, and P4.
  • P4 is the coordinate point at the latest detecting time.
  • the orientation detector 2143 calculates with what constant k (with what slope angle) the plotted coordinate points P1, P2, P3, and P4 get closest to the straight line. That is, the orientation detector calculates the constant k of the straight line having the smallest total sum of the distances Da1, Da2, Da3, and Da4 or the distances Db1, Db2, Db3, and Db4 from the straight lines with different constants k to the coordinate points P1, P2, P3, and P4.
  • the orientation detector 2143 sets the slope angle corresponding to the calculated constant k of the straight line as the orientation at the present time to be detected.
  • the orientation is detected in a state where the X axis, that is, the angle of the orientation (left direction) of the left channel is 0° and the angle ⁇ about the X axis (hereinafter, referred to as "orientation angle") is the orientation angle.
  • the orientation angle is detected as ⁇ a.
  • the orientation angle is detected as ⁇ b.
  • the orientation detector 2143 does not use the same weight for the levels of the two channel input audio signals at the present time (at the latest sampling time) and the levels of the two channel input audio signals at the previous sampling time. In this embodiment, the orientation detector 2143 uses the greater weight for the levels of the two channel input audio signals at the sampling time closest to the present time.
  • the orientation detector 2143 employs a time window WD1 having such an exponential curve characteristic that the weight for the sampling values of the levels of the two channel input audio signals becomes greater as it nears the present time (the latest sampling time tn in this example) as shown in Fig. 8 .
  • the present time which is the time for the processing signal is set to the latest sampling time (latest sample time).
  • a delay circuit for delay by a predetermined time ⁇ may be provided to the input stage of the variable gain amplifier 24 and the amplifiers 25 and 26 and the present time as a processing time may be set to a time obtained by delaying the input audio signals SiL and SiR by the predetermined time ⁇ .
  • the orientation detector 2143 can detect the orientation also using the two channel input audio signals SiL and SiR in the future from the present time as a processing time.
  • the present time as the processing time may be set to P2 or P3.
  • a time window WD2 having an exponential curve characteristic shown in Fig. 9 is used instead of the time window WD1.
  • the time window WD2 has such an exponential curve characteristic that the weight at the present time tp as the processing time is the greatest and the weight becomes smaller as it departs further from the present time tp, that is, as it departs to the past and the future.
  • the levels of the two channel input audio signals at the present time can be used without any change, without weighting the levels of the two channel input audio signals SiL and SiR at the past and/or future sampling time.
  • the orientation detector 2143 can detect the orientation angle ⁇ indicating the orientation of the two channel input audio signals SiL and SiR at the present time.
  • the detected orientation angle ⁇ at the present time serves to define the orientation of the input audio signals at a time in one direction and does not reflect the intensity of signal in the corresponding direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, the detection result (orientation angle ⁇ ) of the orientation of the two channel input audio signals SiL and SiR at the present time detected by the orientation detector 2143 is supplied to the orientation distribution measurer 2144 in consideration of this point.
  • the orientation distribution measurer 2144 calculates a distribution of the orientation angle ⁇ in all the orientations detected by the orientation detector 2143 over a predetermined time interval d, and measures what ratio the orientations of the two channel input audio signals have in the corresponding direction.
  • the predetermined time interval d is selected, for example, as several milli-seconds to several hundreds milli-seconds and several tens of milli-seconds in this example.
  • the orientation distribution measurer 2144 weights the orientation angle ⁇ detected at the predetermined time interval d by the orientation detector 2143 in the same way as the weighting coefficient characteristic of the orientation detector 2143.
  • the time delay ⁇ is prepared for the input audio signals and the time window of the orientation distribution measurer 2144 is the same as shown in Fig. 9 when the time window for weighting in the orientation detector 2143 is set to the same as shown in Fig. 9 .
  • the time interval d is a time interval including both the future and the past from the present time tp.
  • the orientations may be used with non-weighted values.
  • Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an orientation distribution P( ⁇ ) which is the distribution of the orientation angle ⁇ calculated by the orientation distribution measurer 2144, where the horizontal axis represents the orientation angle ⁇ about the X axis (the left channel orientation) and the vertical axis represents the frequency of occurrence ( ⁇ 1) of each orientation angle.
  • Fig. 12 The relation of the orientation angle ⁇ and the orientation of the audio signals is shown in Fig. 12 .
  • the front, the left, and the right shown in Fig. 12 are direction names based on a listener.
  • the information on the orientation distribution P( ⁇ ) shown in Fig. 11 is obtained at the present time (present sampling time or present sample time: processing time) from the orientation distribution measurer 2144.
  • the information on the orientation distribution P( ⁇ ) is supplied to the center gain control signal generator 2145.
  • the center gain control signal generator 2145 generates a center gain control signal on the basis of the orientation distribution P( ⁇ ) calculated by the orientation distribution measurer 2144 so that a gain is greater as a signal is more oriented to the center and the gain is smaller otherwise.
  • the center gain control signal generator 2145 includes a gain table memory not shown.
  • the gain table memory previously stores gain table information K( ⁇ ) for generating the gain control signal supplied to the gain-adjusted amplifier 213.
  • the gain table information K( ⁇ ) has a gain characteristic in which all the orientation angles ( ⁇ 45° to 135°) are weighted in the center orientation.
  • Fig. 13 shows an example of the gain table information K( ⁇ ).
  • the gain characteristic is set so that the gain is smaller as it goes apart from the center direction.
  • the center gain control signal generator 2145 calculates the total sum of multiplications of the gain values of the gain table information K( ⁇ ) by the information on the orientation distribution P( ⁇ ) calculated by the orientation distribution measurer 2144 at all the orientation angles.
  • the gain control signal Gat generated by the center gain control signal generator 2145 in this way is supplied as the output of the centered orientation ratio detector 214 to the gain-adjusted amplifier 213.
  • the main voice signal Sv including the signal component further oriented to the center than that in the first example is obtained from the gain-adjusted amplifier 213.
  • the centered orientation signal detector 21 is not limited to the first example and the second example described above.
  • the above-mentioned first example employs the gain control way that the sound volume of the main live sound signal is not corrected.
  • the gain of the main live sound signal is controlled along with the main voice signal.
  • a second embodiment of the invention helps to cope with this case.
  • the sound volume correcting device is applied to the sound volume corrector 18 of the television broadcast receiver shown in Fig. 2 , similarly to the first example.
  • Fig. 14 is a block diagram illustrating the entire configuration of the sound volume corrector 18 according to the second embodiment.
  • the same elements as the sound volume corrector 18 according to the first example shown in Fig. 1 are referenced by the same reference numerals and signs.
  • variable gain amplifiers 250 and 260 are prepared for the left and right channel main live sound signals SsL and SsR from the adders 22 and 23, instead of the amplifiers 25 and 26 with a fixed gain in the first example.
  • a live sound level correction gain generator 40 generating a gain control signal Gs (live sound level correction gain value) of the main live sound signals SsL and SsR is provided, in addition to the voice level correction gain generator 30 in the first example.
  • the gain control signal Gs from the live sound level correction gain generator 40 is supplied to the variable gain amplifiers 250 and 260 so as to control the gains of the left and right main live sound signals SsL and SsR in a gain control way different from that of the main voice signal Sv.
  • the live sound level correction gain generator 40 receives the gain control signal Gv from the voice level correction gain generator 30, performs a process based on the gain control signal Gv, and generates the gain control signal Gs for correcting the gain of the main live sound signal.
  • the gain control way for the main voice signal Sv using the gain control signal Gv is different from the gain control way for the main live sound signals SsL and SsR using the gain control signal Gs.
  • the gain control way for the main live sound signals SsL and SsR using the gain control signal Gs does not immediately follow the great level variation of the input audio signal. That is, in the second embodiment, similarly to the first example, the gain control way for the main voice signal Sv intermediately follows the level variation of the input audio signal and keeps the output level constant. However, the gain control way for the main live sound signals SsL and SsR has a characteristic that it does not immediately follow the great level variation of the input audio signal, unlike the above-mentioned gain control way.
  • the configuration for processing the main voice signal Sv in the second embodiment is the same as the first example. Therefore, the gain of the main voice signal Svc supplied as an input to the adders 27 and 28 is corrected in the first gain control way that the output level is kept constant. Accordingly, as described above, when the input audio signals SiL and SiR greatly vary in level, an wobble in sound volume level may occur at the level varying point.
  • the gains of the left and right channel main live sound signals SsL and SsR are controlled in a second gain control way different from the first gain control way by the variable gain amplifiers 250 and 260 and the resultant signals are supplied to the adders 27 and 28.
  • the gain control way for the main live sound signals SsL and SsR has a characteristic such that it does not immediately follow the great level variation of the input audio signal.
  • the wobble in the sound volume level of the corrected main voice signal Svc is masked by the left channel and right channel main live sound signals SsL and SsR.
  • the wobble in sound volume level of the main voice signal Svc is not marked, thereby reducing the unpleasant feeling given to a listener.
  • Fig. 15 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the live sound level correction gain generator 40 in the first example.
  • the live sound level correction gain generator 40 includes a gain value switching table unit 41.
  • the gain value switching table unit 41 serves to receive the gain control signal Gv of the main voice signal Sv as an input signal and to output the gain control signal Gs of the main live sound signals SsL and SsR, and includes a gain value switching table memory (not shown).
  • Fig. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of gain value switching table information stored in the gain value switching table memory of the gain value switching table unit 41.
  • the main live sound signals SsL and SsR may be output from the amplifier with the fixed gain of "1", similarly to the first example.
  • the gain of the main live sound signals SsL and SsR is controlled by following the level variation with a predetermined ratio to the gain control signal Gv.
  • the live sound level correction gain follows the voice level correction gain with a constant ratio.
  • the voice level correction gain it is possible to prevent the balance of the main live sound signal level relative to the main voice signal level from being greatly deteriorated. Therefore, it is possible to realize the natural level shift even when the variation in level is great.
  • the gain value switching table unit 41 can read the gain control signal Gs for the corresponding main live sound signals and output the read gain control signal, using the value of the gain control signal Gv for the main voice signal Sv as a reading address input of the gain value switching table memory.
  • the gain value switching table unit 41 may be constructed by functional means using software operations.
  • Fig. 17 shows an example of a flowchart of the software operations in this case.
  • step S104 it is determined whether Gv>1.25 is satisfied.
  • step S101 The above-mentioned processes from step S101 are repeated after steps S103, S104, and S106.
  • the numerical values of the gain described above are only examples, and the gain is not limited to the numerical values.
  • Figs. 18A to 18F are similar to Figs. 3A to 3F used to describe the first example. That is, when the main voice signal Sv and the main live sound signal SsL or SsR have the level variation shown in Figs. 18A and 18B , the voice level correction gain for the main voice signal Sv based on the gain control signal Gv is the same as shown in Fig. 18C .
  • the gain of the variable gain amplifier 24 is controlled by the gain control signal Gv.
  • the corrected main voice signal Svc from the variable gain amplifier 24 is a signal with the same constant level as shown in Fig. 18E .
  • the gain control signal Gs for the main live sound signal SsL and SsR is generated as described above on the basis of the gain control signal Gv to be the same as shown in Fig. 18D .
  • the gains of the variable gain amplifiers 250 and 260 are controlled by the gain control signal Gs.
  • the corrected main live sound signals SsLc and SsRc from the variable gain amplifier 250 and 260 are the same as shown in Fig. 18F , which are obtained by controlling the gain of the main live sound signals SsL and SsR shown in Fig. 18B .
  • the first example is effective when the level variation of the input audio signal or the main voice signal is great, and the first example can be applicable when the level variation of the input audio signal or the main voice signal Sv is small.
  • a configuration may be considered for detecting the level variation of the input audio signal and automatically switching the gain control way for the main live sound signal depending on the detection result.
  • Fig. 19 shows the configuration of this case. As shown in Fig. 19 , a level variation detector 29 detecting the entire level variation of two left and right input audio signals SiL and SiR is provided.
  • the live sound level correction gain generator 40 of this example has a way where the variable gain amplifiers 250 and 260 have the fixed gain "1" for the main live sound signal similarly to the first example and a way where the gain is controlled similarly to the second embodiment.
  • the level variation detector 29 adds the two left and right channel input audio signals SiL and SiR, detects the level variation of the added signal, and supplies a switching control signal SW to the live sound level correction gain generator 40 depending on the detection result.
  • the level variation detector 29 supplies the live sound level correction gain generator 40 with the switching control signal SW indicating the way where the gain values of the variable gain amplifiers 250 and 260 are set to the fixed gain "1".
  • the level variation detector 29 supplies the live sound level correction gain generator 40 with the switching control signal SW indicating the way where the gain control signal Gs is supplied to the variable gain amplifiers 250 and 260.
  • the main live sound signals SsL and SsR are not controlled with the fixed gain similar to the first example or the first example, but is controlled under the gain control of the main voice signal Sv. Accordingly, the entire balance is set to the balance of the original input audio signal, thereby reproducing natural sounds.
  • Fig. 20 is a diagram illustrating the configuration f the live sound level correction gain generator 40 in the second example.
  • the live sound level correction gain generator 40 includes a delay time constant processor 42.
  • the delay time constant processor 42 performs a delay time constant process on the gain control signal Gv for the main voice signal Sv and generates the gain control signal Gs for the main live sound signals SsL and SsR. That is, the live sound level correction gain having a time delay characteristic following the voice level correction gain late can be obtained.
  • Figs. 21A to 21F are similar to Figs. 18A to 18F used to describe the first example. That is, when the main voice signal Sv and the main live sound signal SsL or SsR have the level variation shown in Figs. 21A and 21B , the voice level correction gain for the main voice signal Sv based on the gain control signal Gv is the same as shown in Fig. 21C .
  • the gain of the variable gain amplifier 24 is controlled by the gain control signal Gv.
  • the corrected main voice signal Svc from the variable gain amplifier 24 is a signal with the same constant level as shown in Fig. 21E .
  • the gain control signal Gv shown in Fig. 21C is subjected to the delay time constant process and thus the gain control signal Gs for the main live sound signals SsL and SsR varies with the time delay characteristic where the gain value has a predetermined time constant as shown in Fig. 21D .
  • variable gain amplifiers 250 and 260 are controlled by the gain control signal Gs.
  • the corrected main live sound signals SsLc and SsRc from the variable gain amplifier 250 and 260 are the same as shown in Fig. 21F .
  • the live sound level correction gain is not made to vary and the live feeling is kept constant. Since the main live sound signals SsL and SsR are slowly corrected in level with delay, the unpleasant feeling due to the great level variation at the level varying point can be reduced by the gain control. Accordingly, it is possible to realize the natural level shift. Since the balance of the main voice signal Sv and the main live sound signal SsL and SsR is converged to the balance of the original input audio signal, it is possible to realize a more natural automatic sound volume correction.
  • the main live sound signals SsL and SsR are controlled in gain to correspond to the gain control of the main voice signal Sv. Therefore, when the correction gain for the main voice signal Sv becomes very great or very small, the correction gain for the main live sound signals SsL and SsR follows it.
  • a third example is a modified example of the second example and is designed to improve the above-mentioned problem.
  • Fig. 22 shows the configuration of the live sound level correction gain generator 40 according to the third example and includes an upper-limit correction gain generator 43 and a lower-limit correction gain generator 44, in addition to the delay time constant processor 42.
  • the upper-limit correction gain generator 43 receives the gain control signal Gv for the main voice signal Sv as an input signal and generates an upper-limit correction gain UL by multiplying the received gain control signal Gv by a predetermined reference value Ku (Ku>1).
  • the upper-limit correction gain generator 43 supplies the generated upper-limit correction gain UL to the delay time constant processor 42.
  • the lower-limit correction gain generator 44 receives the gain control signal Gv for the main voice signal Sv as an input signal and generates a lower-limit correction gain BL by multiplying the received gain control signal Gv by a predetermined reference value Kb (Kb ⁇ 1).
  • the lower-limit correction gain generator 44 supplies the generated lower-limit correction gain BL to the delay time constant processor 42.
  • the delay time constant processor 42 in the third example performs the delay time constant process on the gain control signal Gv for the main voice signal Sv input thereto and acquires the gain control signal Gs for the main live sound signals.
  • the delay time constant processor 42 monitors the upper-limit correction gain UL and the lower-limit correction gain BL and limits the gain control signal Gs to satisfy a conditional expression of upper-limit correction gain UL ⁇ Gs ⁇ lower-limit correction gain BL.
  • Figs. 23A to 23F are similar to Figs. 21A to 21F used to describe the second example. That is, when the main voice signal Sv and the main live sound signal SsL or SsR have the level variation shown in Figs. 23A and 23B , the voice level correction gain for the main voice signal Sv based on the gain control signal Gv is the same as shown in Fig. 23C .
  • the gain of the variable gain amplifier 24 is controlled by the gain control signal Gv.
  • the corrected main voice signal Svc from the variable gain amplifier 24 is a signal with the same constant level as shown in Fig. 23E .
  • the gain control signal Gv shown in Fig. 23C is subjected to the delay time constant process and thus the gain control signal Gs for the main live sound signals SsL and SsR varies with the time delay characteristic where the gain value has a predetermined time constant as shown in Fig. 23D .
  • the gain control signal Gs in this case is limited to being not greater than the upper-limit correction gain UL and not smaller than the lower-limit correction gain BL.
  • the gain control signal Gs satisfies the conditional expression of upper-limit correction gain UL ⁇ Gs ⁇ lower-limit correction gain BL, which is the same as the second example ( Fig. 21D ).
  • the delay time constant processor 42 sets the gain value Gs to the lower-limit correction gain BL at time t2 and starts the delay time constant process on the gain control signal Gv using the lower-limit correction gain BL as a start point.
  • the delay time constant processor 42 sets the gain value Gs to the upper-limit correction gain UL at time t3 and starts the delay time constant process on the gain control signal Gv using the upper-limit correction gain UL as a start point.
  • variable gain amplifiers 250 and 260 are controlled by the gain control signal Gs.
  • the corrected main live sound signals SsLc and SsRc from the variable gain amplifier 250 and 260 are the same as shown in Fig. 23F .
  • the level of the main live sound signal is not greatly deviated from the level of the main voice signal. Accordingly, when the variation in voice level is great, it is possible to realize the natural level shift. Since the balance of the main voice signal Sv and the main live sound signals SsL and SsR is converged to the original balance, it is possible to realize the more natural automatic sound volume correction.
  • the correction gain Gs for the main live sound signals SsL and SsR is limited to a predetermined level range, which contributes to realizing the natural automatic sound volume correction.
  • both of the upper-limit correction gain and the lower-limit correction gain are set, but one thereof may be set to limit the gain level range.
  • the first to third examples of the live sound level correction gain generator 40 are individually provided to generate the gain control signal Gs for the main live sound signal.
  • four types of the example where the fixed gain "1" is set for the main live sound signal in the first example and the first to third examples of the live sound level correction gain generator 40 may be provided in the sound volume corrector 18 and may be switched.
  • the following automatic switching method may be employed in addition to a method of allowing a user to manually switch the types by the use of a switching operation unit provided as an operation means.
  • an automatic switching method using EPG (Electronic Programming Guide) information included in the television broadcast signal can be employed. That is, a table in which the optimal methods of the four types of the live sound level correction gain generators 40 are correlated with genres such as drama, sports, and variety is prepared. Then, the EPG information is detected from the television broadcast signal, the genre of a broadcast program is detected, and the optimal live sound level correction gain generating method out of the four types is determined and set with reference to the table.
  • EPG Electronic Programming Guide
  • identification information for specifying the optimal live sound level correction gain generating method out of the four types is previously recorded in DVD contents.
  • a DVD player stores the correlation information of the identification information with the four-type live sound level correction gain generating methods. At the time of reproducing the DVD contents, the DVD player acquires the identification information from the DVD and determines what live sound level correction gain generating method should be used by referring to the correlation information on the basis of the acquired identification information.
  • the identification information for specifying the live sound level correction gain generating methods for the broadcast programs as part of the EPG information, it can be similarly determined what live sound level correction gain generating method should be used for the television broadcast program.
  • the main first component signal is the main voice signal and the signal containing other components as a main component is the main live sound signal.
  • the approach described herein is not limited to this separation method.
  • an input audio signal may be separated into a middle-band component and a band component other than the middle-band component and the gains of the respective components may be controlled in the first gain control way and the second gain control way different from each other.
  • the audio signal includes two left and right channel input audio signals.
  • the audio signal of which the sound volume should be corrected may be a monaural audio signal.
  • Fig. 24 shows another example of separating the input audio signal, where a monaural input audio signal is separated by the frequency bands.
  • the example shown in Fig. 24 employs the second embodiment.
  • the first example may be employed.
  • the monaural input audio signal Si is supplied to a band pass filter 51 extracting a middle-band component of an audio signal to acquire a main middle-band signal Sm containing only the middle-band component of the audio signal therefrom.
  • the main middle-band signal Sm is supplied to a variable gain amplifier 53.
  • the main middle-band signal Sm from the band pass filter 51 is supplied to a subtractor 52 and is subtracted from the input audio signal Si, thereby acquiring a main high-band and low-band component signal Shl of the input audio signal Si.
  • the main high-band and low-band component signal Shl is supplied to an adder 55 via the variable gain amplifier 54.
  • the main middle-band signal Sm from the band pass filter 51 is supplied to a middle-band level correction gain generator 56.
  • the middle-band level correction gain generator 56 generates a gain control signal Gm for setting the output level of the main middle-band signal Sm to a constant level by detecting the average level of the main middle-band signal Sm and using the average level as a reference level.
  • the gain control signal Gm is a middle-band level correction gain.
  • the middle-band level correction gain generator 56 supplies the generated gain control signal Gm to the variable gain amplifier 53, whereby the gain is controlled to maintain the output level of the main middle-band signal Sm at a constant level.
  • the gain control signal Gm generated by the middle-level correction gain generator 56 is supplied to a high-band and low-band level correction gain generator 57.
  • the high-band and low-band level correction gain generator 57 generates a gain control signal Ghl (high-band and low-band level correction gain) for the main high-band and low-band signals.
  • the high-band and low-band level correction gain generator 57 supplies the generated gain control signal Ghl to the variable gain amplifier 54 to control the gain of the main high-band and low-band signal Shl, similarly to the second embodiment.
  • an output audio signal So which is obtained by adding the main middle-band signal of which the gain is corrected in the first gain control way and the main high-band and low-band signals of which the gain is corrected in the second gain control way is obtained from the adder 55.
  • the audio signals may be separated into three or more signal components, instead of two signal components.
  • one of the three or more signal components may be controlled in gain in the first gain control way and the other signal components may be controlled in gain in the second gain control way, or the other signal components may be controlled in gain in two or more different gain control ways.
  • the audio signals may be multi channels of three or more channels such as 5.1 channel surround audio signals.
  • the input audio signal is separated in advance.
  • the center channel may be used as the main voice signal in the above-mentioned embodiment.
  • Fig. 25 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a sound volume correcting device when an input audio signal is a 5.1 channel surround audio signal.
  • front left and right channel audio signals FLi and FRi are supplied to variable gain amplifiers 61 and 62.
  • Rear left and right channel audio signals RLi and RRi are supplied to variable gain amplifiers 63 and 64.
  • a center channel audio signal Ci is supplied to a variable gain amplifier 65.
  • a low-band audio signal LFE Low Frequency Effect is supplied to a variable gain amplifier 66.
  • the center channel audio signal Ci is supplied to a voice level correction gain generator 67.
  • the voice level correction gain generator 67 has the same configuration as the voice level correction gain generator 30 shown in Fig. 14 and generates a gain control signal Gv.
  • the gain control signal Gv generated by the voice level correction gain generator 67 is supplied to the center channel variable gain amplifier 65.
  • the gain control signal Gv generated by the voice level correction gain generator 67 is supplied to a live sound level correction gain generator 68.
  • the live sound level correction gain generator 68 has the same configuration as the live sound level correction gain generator 40 shown in Fig. 14 and generates a gain control signal Gs.
  • the gain control signal Gs generated by the live sound level correction gain generator 68 is supplied to a center-channel-excluded variable gain amplifiers 61 to 64.and 66.
  • the audio signals FLo, FRo, RLo, RRo, Co, and LFo are acquired from the variable gain amplifiers 61 to 66 and are output from speakers thereof.
  • the center channel audio signal Ci out of the 5.1 channel input audio signals FLi, FRi, RLi, RRi, Ci, and LFi is controlled in gain in the first gain control way on the basis of the gain control signal Gv.
  • the center-channel-excluded audio signals out of the 5.1 channel input audio signals FLi, FRi, RLi, RRi, Ci, and LFi are controlled in gain in the second gain control way different from the first gain control way on the basis of the gain control signal Gs.
  • the 5.1 channel output audio signals FLo, FRo, RLo, RRo, Co, and LFo are acoustically reproduced by individual speakers and acoustically combined, whereby the wobble in sound volume due to the first gain control way is reduced, thereby not causing an unpleasant feeling.
  • the center-channel-excluded audio signals are all controlled in gain in the second gain control way on the basis of the gain control signal Gs, but may be controlled in gain in different gain control ways by channels.
  • the center-channel-excluded audio signals may be grouped into two or more and may be controlled in gain in different gain control ways by groups.
  • the multi channel input audio signals of 5.1 channels may be mixed down and may be acoustically reproduced in two channels by two speakers.
  • the first example or the second embodiment can be applied to the mixed-down two channel input audio signals.
  • the mixing-down may be carried out by the configuration shown in Fig. 26 in which the gain is controlled using the center channel audio signal out of the 5.1 channel input audio signals.
  • Fig. 26 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a sound volume correcting device when the 5.1 channel surround audio signals are mixed down and the sound is output in two channels.
  • the example shown in Fig. 26 is applied to the second embodiment, but may be applied to the first example.
  • the 5.1 channel surround audio signals FLi, FRi, RLi, RRi, Ci, and LFi are supplied to a mix-down unit 71 and are mixed down into two left and right channel audio signals Li and Ri.
  • the mix-down unit 71 outputs the center channel audio signal Ci without any change.
  • variable gain amplifiers 72 and 73 The two left and right channel input audio signals Li and Ri from the mix-down unit 71 are supplied to variable gain amplifiers 72 and 73.
  • the output signals of the variable gain amplifiers 72 and 73 are supplied to adders 77 and 78.
  • the center channel audio signal Ci from the mix-down unit 71 is supplied to a variable gain amplifier 74.
  • the output signal of the variable gain amplifier 74 is supplied to the adders 77 and 78.
  • the adders 77 and 78 output two channel output audio signals SoL and SoR.
  • the center channel audio signal Ci from the mix-down unit 71 is supplied to a voice level correction gain generator 75.
  • the voice level correction gain generator 75 has the same configuration as the voice level correction gain generator 30 shown in Fig. 14 and generates a gain control signal Gv.
  • the gain control signal Gv generated by the voice level correction gain generator 75 is supplied to the center-channel variable gain amplifier 74.
  • the gain control signal Gv generated by the voice level correction gain generator 75 is supplied to a live sound level correction gain generator 76.
  • the live sound level correction gain generator 76 has the same configuration as the live sound level correction gain generator 40 shown in Fig. 14 and generates a gain control signal Gs.
  • the gain control signal Gs generated by the live sound level correction gain generator 76 is supplied to the variable gain amplifiers 72 and 73.
  • the voice average level or voice-excluded average level of the audio input signals is detected and the gain is controlled, in real time.
  • the approach described herein is not limited to the real-time process.
  • the gain control signal Gv or Gs for audio signals recorded in a recording medium may be generated and may be recorded to be correlated with recording signals.
  • the sound volume of the reproducing audio signals can be controlled using the recorded gain control signal Gv or Gs at the time of reproducing the audio signals.
  • Fig. 27 is a block diagram illustrating an example where the approach described herein is applied to a recording and reproducing apparatus recording television broadcast signals on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).
  • a recording medium such as a hard disk or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).
  • the recording and reproducing apparatus 80 shown in Fig. 27 includes a broadcast recording system 81, a reproducing system 82, a level correction gain generator 83, a control unit 84, and an operation unit 85.
  • the operation unit 85 includes, for example, a remote controller transceiver.
  • the control unit 84 includes, for example, a micro computer and controls the units of the recording and reproducing apparatus 80 in accordance with the operation input from the operation unit 85.
  • the level correction gain generator 83 includes a centered orientation signal detector 21 and a voice level correction gain generator 30.
  • the level correction gain generator includes a centered orientation signal detector 21, a voice level correction gain generator 30, and a live sound level correction gain generator 40.
  • control unit 84 controls the broadcast recording system 81 to record the instructed broadcast program.
  • the broadcast receiver 811 receives broadcast wave signals of a broadcast program of which the recording is instructed and supplies the received broadcast signals to a decoder 812.
  • a video signal V1 and an audio signal A1 are decoded from the received signal and are output by the decoder 812.
  • the audio signal A1 includes, for example, two left and right channel audio signals.
  • the video signal V1 and the audio signal A1 from the decoder 812 are encoded by a recoding encoder 813 and are recorded on a recording medium 816 by a writer 815.
  • a hard disk device is used as the recording medium 816.
  • the operation unit 85 is provided with a key for specifying broadcast program contents recorded on the recording medium 816 and a key for instructing the generation of a level correction gain.
  • the control unit 84 performs a level correction gain generating process properly to adjust the reproducing sound volume of the audio signals of the specified broadcast program contents.
  • control unit 84 controls a reader 821, a reproducing decoder 822, a level correction gain generator 83, and a writer 815 on the basis of the operation input of the key for instructing generation of the level correction gain.
  • the control unit 84 controls the reader 821 to read the recorded signals of the specified broadcast program from the recording medium 816.
  • the reader 821 supplies the read recorded signals to the reproducing decoder 822.
  • the reproducing decoder 822 decodes the recorded signals and outputs a reproducing video signal V2 and a reproducing audio signal A2.
  • the reproducing audio signal A2 from the reproducing decoder 822 is supplied to the level correction gain generator 83.
  • the level correction gain generator 83 generates a gain control signal Gv or Gs as described in the first example or the second embodiment.
  • the level correction gain generator 83 supplies the generated gain control signal Gv or Gs to the writer 815.
  • the writer 815 records the gain control signal Gv or Gs from the level correction gain generator 83 on the recording medium 816 to be correlated with the recorded signals in reproduction under the control of the control unit 84.
  • control unit 84 controls the reproduction system 82 to reproduce the broadcast program of which the reproduction is instructed.
  • control unit 84 controls the reader 821 to read the recorded signal of the specified broadcast program and the gain control signal Gv or Gs correlated therewith from the recording medium 816.
  • the reader 821 supplies the read recorded signals to the decoder 822 and supplies the read gain control signal Gv or Gs to the gain control signal reproducing unit 826.
  • the reproducing decoder 822 decodes the recorded signal and acquires the reproducing video signal V2 and the reproducing audio signal A2.
  • the reproducing video signal V2 is output from a video input stage 827 via a video signal processor 823.
  • a display unit is connected to an output stage 827 and a reproduced video of the broadcast program is displayed on the display screen thereof.
  • the reproducing audio signal from the reproducing decoder 822 is supplied to a sound volume corrector 825 via an audio signal processor 824.
  • the sound volume corrector 825 has a configuration in which the voice level correction gain generator 30 is removed from the configuration according to the first example shown in Fig. 1 or a configuration in which the voice level correction gain generator 30 and the live sound level correction gain generator 40 are removed from the configuration according to the second embodiment shown in Fig. 14 .
  • the gain control signal reproducing unit 826 reproduces the gain control signal Gv or Gs from the signal from the reader 821.
  • the gain control signal reproducing unit 826 supplies the reproduced gain control signal Gv or Gs to the sound volume corrector 825, whereby the gain is controlled as described in the above-mentioned embodiments. Therefore, an unpleasant feeling is not caused, similarly to the first example and the second embodiment, even when the sound volume of the audio signal acquired from the sound volume corrector 825 is automatically corrected.
  • the reproducing audio signal from the sound volume corrector 825 is supplied to a speaker via an audio output stage 828.
  • the level correction gain generator 83 has the same configuration as the first example or the second embodiment. However, in the example shown in Fig. 27 , since it is not necessary to perform a real-time process, the processing time increases but the degree of precision is enhanced.
  • the main voice signal including a human voice may be detected by detecting the pitch while taking the auto-correlation of the audio signal.
  • the main voice signal including a human voice may be detected with higher precision.
  • the gain control signal Gv or Gs is generated and is correlated and recorded with the recorded signals.
  • the audio signals of the recorded signals may be subjected to a sound volume correcting process based on the above-mentioned gain control and then the audio signals having been subjected to the sound volume correcting process may be recorded (rewritten) on the recording medium. In this case, it is possible to control the gain of the audio signals using the above-mentioned configuration with high precision.
  • the example shown in Fig. 27 discloses the recording and reproducing apparatus generating the gain control signal for the audio signals in a non-real time process.
  • a recording and reproducing apparatus performing a sound volume correcting process in real time by applying the first example or the second embodiment to the audio signals to be recorded may be constructed.
  • the recording and reproducing apparatus performs the sound volume correcting process in real time by applying the first example or the second embodiment to the audio signals decoded by the decoder 812.
  • the audio signals corrected in sound volume are recorded by the use of the recording encoder 813.
  • the level correction gain generator 83 since it is not necessary to record the gain control signal Gv or Gs in correlation with the recorded signals, the level correction gain generator 83 is not necessary. It is also not necessary to provide the level correction gain reproducing unit 826 or the sound volume corrector 825 to the reproduction system 82.
  • the voice level correction gain generator 30 sets the output level of the main voice signal to a constant level by setting the average level of the main voice signal as a reference value.
  • the gain may be controlled in such a manner that the total level of the input audio signals is set as the reference level.
  • the gain control way is changed by supplying the output gain control signal Gv from the voice level correction gain generator 30 to the live sound level correction gain generator 40 and performing an addition process on the gain control signal Gv.
  • the first gain control way for the main first component signal and the second gain control way for main component signals other than the first component are not particularly limited, as long as they are different from each other as described in the above-mentioned examples.
  • the main voice signal is an example of the main first component signal and the main live sound signal is an example of the main component signals other than the first component.
  • the main first component signal and the main component signals other than the first component may be various other signals in the input audio signals.
  • one channel of the multi channels may be the main first component signal and other channels may be the main component signals other than the first component.
  • the centered orientation signal detector 21, the voice level correction gain generator 30, and the live sound level correction gain generator 40 are constructed by hardware such as discrete circuit portions. However, they may be constructed by a DSP (Digital Signal Processor).
  • DSP Digital Signal Processor
  • the centered orientation signal detector 21, the voice level correction gain generator 30, and the live sound level correction gain generator 40 may be constructed by software such as computer programs.
  • the voice level correction gain generator 30 or the live sound level correction gain generator 40 are provided as software processing functions to the control unit 10.
  • the gain of the variable gain amplifier of the sound volume corrector 18 is controlled on the basis of the gain control signal from the control unit 10.
  • all the units of the sound volume corrector 18 including the variable gain amplifier may be embodied by software.
  • the electronic apparatus employing the sound volume correcting device according to the approach described herein is not limited to the television broadcast receiver shown in Fig. 2 .

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Claims (13)

  1. Tonlautstärke-Korrektureinrichtung (18), welche umfasst:
    eine erste Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuereinrichtung (24) zum Steuern eines Verstärkungsfaktors eines ersten Hauptkomponentensignals (Sv), welches einen Teil mehrerer Audiokomponenten als eine Hauptkomponente enthält, aus zugeführten Audiosignalen (SiL, SiR), welche die mehreren Audiokomponenten aufweisen, und zum Ausgeben des ersten Hauptkomponentensignals (Svc);
    eine erste Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignalerzeugungseinrichtung (30) zum Erzeugen eines ersten Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignals (Gv), um zuzulassen, dass die erste Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuereinrichtung den Verstärkungsfaktor des ersten Hauptkomponentensignals gemäß einer ersten Verstärkungsfaktor-Steuerart steuert; und
    eine weitere Komponentenausgabeeinrichtung (25, 26) zum Ausgeben von Audiokomponenten (SsL, SsR) abgesehen vom ersten Hauptkomponentensignal gemäß einer zweiten Verstärkungsfaktor-Steuerart, welche gegenüber der ersten Verstärkungsfaktor-Steuerart verschieden ist;
    und dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das erste Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignal, welches durch die erste Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignal-Erzeugungseinrichtung erzeugt wird, als ein Korrekturverstärkungsfaktor dient, um den Ausgangspegel des ersten Hauptkomponentensignals konstant zu halten, und wobei die zweite Verstärkungsfaktor-Steuerart der ersten Verstärkungsfaktor-Steuerart entspricht, so dass ein Korrekturverstärkungsfaktor für die Audiokomponenten (SsL, SsR) abgesehen vom ersten Hauptkomponentensignal dem Korrekturverstärkungsfaktor für das erste Hauptkomponentensignal folgt.
  2. Tonlautstärke-Korrektureinrichtung nach Anspruch 1, wobei die weitere Komponentenausgabeeinrichtung aufweist:
    eine weitere Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuereinrichtung (250, 260) zum Steuern des Verstärkungsfaktors der Audiokomponenten abgesehen von der ersten Komponente und zum Ausgeben der gesteuerten weiteren Audiokomponenten; und
    eine weitere Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignal-Erzeugungseinrichtung (40) zum Erzeugen eines anderen Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignals (Gs), welches verwendet wird, um zuzulassen, dass die weitere Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuereinrichtung den Verstärkungsfaktor der Audiokomponenten abgesehen von der ersten Komponente gemäß der zweiten Verstärkungsfaktor-Steuerart steuert, verschieden gegenüber dem ersten Verstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignal, welches durch die erste Verstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignal-Erzeugungseinrichtung erzeugt wird.
  3. Tonlautstärke-Korrektureinrichtung nach Anspruch 2,
    wobei die weitere Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignal-Erzeugungseinrichtung die Audiokomponenten abgesehen von der ersten Komponente mit einem nicht geänderten Pegel ausgibt, wenn ein Korrekturverstärkungsfaktorwert auf Basis des ersten Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignals innerhalb eines Referenzbereichs liegt, und ein Verhältnis des Korrekturverstärkungsfaktorwerts auf Basis des weiteren Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignals auf einen Korrekturverstärkungswert auf Basis des ersten Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignals auf einen vorher bestimmten Wert einstellt, wenn der Korrekturverstärkungsfaktorwert auf Basis des ersten Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignals außerhalb des Referenzbereichs liegt.
  4. Tonlautstärke-Korrektureinrichtung nach Anspruch 2,
    wobei die weitere Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignal-Erzeugungseinrichtung das weitere Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignal mit einer Zeitverzögerungscharakteristik, welche einer Verstärkungsfaktorkorrektur des ersten Hauptkomponentensignals folgt, auf Basis des ersten Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignals erzeugt.
  5. Tonlautstärke-Korrektureinrichtung nach Anspruch 4, wobei die weitere Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignal-Erzeugungseinrichtung einen Korrekturverstärkungsfaktorwert auf Basis des weiteren Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignals auf einen festgesetzten Wert fixiert, wenn der Korrekturverstärkungsfaktorwert auf Basis des weiteren Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignals größer ist als ein festgesetzter Wert, der durch Multiplizieren des Korrekturverstärkungsfaktorwerts auf Basis des ersten Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuersignals mit einem vorher bestimmten Referenzwert erlangt wird.
  6. Tonlautstärke-Korrektureinrichtung nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei ein hinzugefügtes Ausgangssignal, welches durch Hinzufügen des Ausgangssignals der weiteren Komponentenausgabeeinrichtung zum Ausgangssignal der ersten Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuereinrichtung erlangt wird, als ein lautstärke-korrigiertes Tonlautstärke-Ausgangssignal ausgegeben wird.
  7. Tonlautstärke-Korrektureinrichtung nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, welche außerdem umfasst:
    eine erste Trenneinrichtung (21) zum Trennen des ersten Hauptkomponentensignals vom zugeführten Audiosignal und zum Liefern des getrennten ersten Hauptkomponentensignals zur ersten Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuereinrichtung;
    eine zweite Trenneinrichtung (22, 23) zum Trennen eines zweiten Hauptkomponentensignals, welches Audiokomponenten abgesehen von der ersten Komponente als eine Hauptkomponente enthält, vom zugeführten Audiosignal durch Subtrahieren des ersten Hauptkomponentensignals vom zugeführten Audiosignal und zum Liefern des getrennten zweiten Hauptkomponentensignals zur weiteren Komponentenausgabeeinrichtung; und
    eine Hinzufügungseinrichtung (27, 28) zum Hinzufügen des Ausgangssignals der weiteren Komponentenausgabeeinrichtung zum Ausgangssignal der ersten Komponentenverstärkungsfaktor-Steuereinrichtung und zum Ausgeben des hinzugefügten Ausgangssignals als ein lautstärke-korrigiertes Ausgangssignal.
  8. Tonlautstärke-Korrektureinrichtung nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei die zugeführten Audiosignale mehrere Kanäle an Audiosignalen aufweisen, und
    wobei das erste Hauptkomponentensignal ein Kanal für ein Signal von den mehreren Kanälen der Audiosignale ist.
  9. Tonlautstärke-Korrektureinrichtung nach Anspruch 8, wobei das erste Hauptkomponentensignal ein Mittenkanal für ein Signal ist.
  10. Tonlautstärke-Korrektureinrichtung nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei das erste Hauptkomponentensignal ein Sprachsignal als eine Hauptkomponente enthält.
  11. Elektronische Vorrichtung, welche eine Tonlautstärke-Korrektureinrichtung nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche aufweist.
  12. Tonlautstärke-Korrekturverfahren, welches folgende Schritte umfasst:
    Steuern eines Verstärkungsfaktors eines ersten Hauptkomponentensignals, welches einen Teil aus mehreren Audiokomponenten als eine Hauptkomponente enthält, von zugeführten Audiosignalen, welche die mehreren Audiokomponenten aufweisen, gemäß einer ersten Verstärkungsfaktor-Steuerart und zum Ausgeben des Verstärkungsfaktor gesteuerten Hauptkomponentensignals; und
    Steuern eines Verstärkungsfaktors der Audiokomponenten abgesehen von der ersten Komponente von den zugeführten Audiosignalen gemäß einer zweiten Verstärkungsfaktor-Steuerart verschieden gegenüber der ersten Verstärkungsfaktor-Steuerart und Ausgeben der Verstärkungsfaktor gesteuerten weiteren Audiokomponenten;
    wobei die erste Verstärkungsfaktor-Steuerart als ein Korrekturverstärkungsfaktor dient, um den Ausgangspegel des ersten Hauptkomponentensignals konstant zu halten, und wobei die zweite Verstärkungsfaktor-Steuerart der ersten Verstärkungsfaktor-Steuerart entspricht, so dass ein Korrekturverstärkungsfaktor für die Audiokomponenten (SsL, SsR) abgesehen vom ersten Hauptkomponentensignal dem Korrekturverstärkungsfaktor für das erste Hauptkomponentensignal folgt.
  13. Computerprogramm zum Ausüben des Verfahrens nach Anspruch 12.
EP09252718A 2008-12-05 2009-12-02 Vorrichtung, Verfahren und Programm zur Lautstärkenkorrektur und elektronisches Gerät Not-in-force EP2194733B1 (de)

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CN101753112B (zh) 2014-11-26
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